Wet Sleddale - ID: 3261

Walk description: Start grid ref: NY555114 OS map: Explorer OL 5 A taste of the real Lake District Fells within a few minutes' drive of the Walk length: 4.35 miles M6; an easy walk with a bit of a climb to gain height and views across Duration: 120 minutes the Lake District. Height gain: 170 metres Contributor: David and Chris The walk takes you past Sleddale Hall, the filming location for 'Crow Stewart Cragg' in cult sixties-set comedy 'Withnail and I'. The film, released in 1987, starred Richard E Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths, Ralph Weathercall: Get a local forecast Brown and Michael Elphick. The hall was still in desperate need of for this walk. renovation when we last visited (in 2005), a situation regretted by Call 09068 020 520 from your many of the film's fans. phone or mobile. Or dial 09065 22 45 04 from your fax machine Just before reaching the hall you cross the ancient stone bridge where to receive a fax. Withnail memorably attempted fishing with a shotgun. 09068 calls 60p/min, 09065 calls £1.50p/min. The views from 'Crow Cragg' were shot elsewhere, but those from the real Sleddale Hall over the Wet Sleddale Reservoir are superb. The Features: reservoir was created to supply water to Manchester. • Hills or Fells • Great Views Access information:

From M6 Junction 39 turn off to Shap. At the T-junction turn right and then first left to the Wet Sleddale Reservoir. Follow the road round to the right by the weather station to the car park.

Additional info:

You can get lots of details on the film from its Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Withnail_&_I

Wet Sleddale - ID: 3261

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1 From the car park take the track alongside the reservoir. (Grid ref: 555114)

When you reach a ruined stone barn, keep following the (Grid ref: 545111) 2 path through the left-hand of two gates. From here to the bridge the path is clearly marked with wooden markers painted white.

Cross the bridge used by Withnail for shotgun fishing and (Grid ref: 540110) 3 take the grassy path directly up the hillside opposite (as in this picture). Cross a couple of stiles to reach a track by a stone barn.

The path goes directly upwards opposite the stone barn, (Grid ref: 540114) 4 between the dry-stone wall and the stream. Sleddale Hall is the imposing building above you to the left. Note: the path is on the right-hand side of the hall and the stream as you look uphill, not the left as marked on the map. Cross a couple of stiles. When you reach a gate in the dry-stone wall, cross the stream and continue following it upwards until you reach a track.

Turn right and climb over the stile. Continue straight ahead (Grid ref: 538116) 5 to the top of the ridge.

As you reach the top of the ridge you get great views (Grid ref: 540119) 6 across the Eden Valley. The fell has a number of quad bike tracks, all going in roughly the right direction. You need to keep reasonably close to the dry-stone wall on your right, but following a track about 100 metres away tends to be drier. You are heading for a kink in the wall just to left of the clump of trees. When you reach this kink, continue following the track alongside the wall.

Look out for this gate in the wall just after you pass the (Grid ref: 546124) 7 clump of trees. The path goes back under the trees and drops down to a stone barn.

Go through the gate on the right-hand side of the barn and (Grid ref: 546120) 8 follow the track down to the road, by a farmhouse.

Turn left onto the road and follow it down to the next (Grid ref: 544117) 9 farmhouse on your right.

Just at the point where a track forks off to the farmhouse (Grid ref: 552121) 10 itself, you need to cut across the field on your right. Head for the tree in the centre of this picture, where there is a stile into the next field. Cross this field to the far corner, next to another house. Climb the stile onto the road and follow the road for a short distance.

Cut down to this footbridge (easily seen from the road), (Grid ref: 558123) 11 cross it and join the road on the other side. Turn right and follow the road, past the Met Office weather station, back to the car park.